Sharks 7, Canucks 2: DiPietro enters the dragon's den and gets burned

Starting a 19-year-old goalie, freshly up from junior hockey, against the second-highest scoring team in the NHL — a true Stanley Cup-contending squad — in the San Jose Sharks was always going to be a big risk.

There was, of course, the chance that the kid would play his lights out, but behind the defence the Canucks have, that was a very tall order.

DiPietro got little help from the defenders in front of him, as the Canucks were shelled 7-2 by the Sharks on Monday evening at Rogers Arena.

You had to feel for the kid.

Starting DiPietro was a forced move, as “lower-body stiffness” knocked Jacob Markstrom out of action, two days after he stood on his head to guide the Canucks to a 44-save 4-3 shootout win over the fearsome Calgary Flames.

As Canadian hockey fans saw during the world juniors, DiPietro is a talented young man. But the task handed him on Monday night was beyond him and also very unfair.

Chinese dancers leave the ice as Vancouver Canucks goalie Michael DiPietro puts on his mask.DARRYL DYCK /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

That the Canucks were in this situation spoke of dreadful planning going back months. After Richard Bachman, the Canucks’ No. 4 goalie, went down for the season with a torn Achilles in a December game for the Utica Comets, the Canucks waited a month before moving to bring in Mike McKenna to shore up the crease in Utica … but of course they shipped out Anders Nilsson in exchange.

When McKenna was lost two days later on waivers to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canucks suddenly found themselves on a tightrope. Thatcher Demko was recalled, but between him and Markstrom, the Canucks had just two goalies on NHL contracts.

If anything went wrong with either goalie, they’d be in pickle. When Demko hurt his knee last week, the call went to DiPietro.

And then he was the starter Monday, with Markstrom on the bench. Had the Canucks needed to call on him, they would not have been able to. “Markstrom will not be available to play tonight’s game,” the team said on its official Twitter account pre-game.

Now the Canucks face “what next?”

It’s really absurd that it’s gotten to this point. There’s no need to walk this tightrope: there are goalies in the minors with NHL experience who the Canucks could call on, guys like Michael Leighton, who is currently on a short-term deal with Utica; or perhaps Jeremy Smith, currently in Bridgeport; Chris Driedger had a .921 save percentage in the AHL in 13 games this year; Jamie Phillips had a .912 in AHL last year and is in ECHL now; or Ken Appleby, who has split time between the AHL and the ECHL this season.

And if they’re waiting on Mike McKenna to go back on waivers this week, the Flyers surely know the Canucks are in a pickle and must be looking to juggle their goalie situation around for as long as possible, even if they have to manage their way through four healthy goalies.

As for the game, the Sharks scored a minute into the game and never looked back.

LISTEN: On this episode of the White Towel podcast, Patrick Johnston is joined by the Utica Observer-Dispatch’s Ben Birnell to chat about the Utica Comets.

A surprise start

DiPietro getting the nod was a bit of a surprise, but the Canucks announced shortly before face-off that Markstrom was dealing with “lower-body stiffness,” whatever that is.

With the Canucks playing three games in four nights this week, including back-to-back must-win tilts Wednesday and Thursday in Anaheim and Los Angeles, they’re surely hoping Markstrom is ready to go.

With Thatcher Demko also on the shelf injured, the Canucks have no margin for error — they don’t have another healthy goalie on an NHL contract in their system and DiPietro, while a gamer, is still a long way from being truly ready for regular NHL action.

San Jose Sharks’ Kevin Labanc, bottom, scores against Vancouver Canucks goalie Michael DiPietro during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Monday February 11, 2019.DARRYL DYCK /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

But a tough start

It was not the dream start for the young netminder.

DiPietro didn’t get any help on the game’s opening goal, when his teammates turned over the puck in the neutral zone and then almost all went for a line change.

The Sharks pressed the advantage and Logan Couture set up Timo Meier on the doorstep for the game’s opening goal 1:04 into the game. DiPietro didn’t really have a chance.

The game’s second goal, though, was not a good one. Evander Kane flipped the puck from the blue-line, Ben Hutton put his hand up, knocking the puck slightly more in DiPietro’s direction. The rookie tried to punch the puck to the corner with his blocker but mistimed his jab, instead knocking the puck down and into his goal.

The shoulders of the usually upbeat DiPietro sagged afterwards. Chris Tanev and Jay Beagle looped back down and gave him a supportive whack on his pads before the centre-ice face-off that followed.

He did his level best the rest of the way, but the Sharks picked up five more goals, scored in a multitude of ways: a couple of tips, a defenceman-deflected laser beam off the rush, another on a fast rush that the Canucks’ defence couldn’t handle and another goal on a two-on-one.

Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson, left, crashes into San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones during the second period.DARRYL DYCK /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

A little kick

Erik Gudbranson got tied up with Kane in the third period and gave the Sharks winger a slash, drawing a penalty.

But moments before, it appeared that Kane kicked Gudbranson in the side of the leg as they battled for the puck.

Might the NHL take a look?

Zack MacEwen, left, checks San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier during the first period.DARRYL DYCK /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

MacEwen’s jump

In the midst of the nightmare in net, Zack MacEwen played a tidy game in his NHL debut. He had several quality scoring chances from in tight and helped create Pouliot’s goal, picking up an assist.

He saw lots of high-end ice time too, playing a regular shift alongside Bo Horvat.

He and DiPietro also were handed the traditional pre-game solo lap of the ice for warmup, their teammates holding back for a dozen or so seconds while the rookies skated around the crisp white ice on their own.

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